Those Bittersweet Years
by AnimationGirl
Summary: Viper blushes, Crane votes, Monkey betrays Mantis, and Tigress beats a dummy. Sigh. Teenagers. Everything's so complicated. For NJ7009's birthday :D


A/N: _…because we were all told to enjoy our youth. _

**Important:** this story is a gift. A gift to my best friend NJ7009. The only person who can truly make me smile when I am crying, the person that can make me laugh only be writing one word (*cough* hat *cough*), the only person in the world that didn't forget the stamps but forgot the actual letter (still the funniest fail ever NJ!), the only person that can keep me waiting for hours for her to log back on so we can continue our conversation and, as the last thing on this list, my best Mad Hatter Buddy. I hope you enjoy your birthday, søde.

So yeah, in this story the Five are teenagers (No age written, though) and Po is still a teen Noodle cook in his father's shop.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

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**Those Bittersweet Years **

Because Fangs And Beaks Don't Mix

"What do you think he looks like?" Viper muttered, placing herself in front of Tigress.

"Why do you care?"

"Because we are going to live with him. Like _forever_. And I just thought you might have some expectations."

Tigress shook her head, causing some 'popping' sounds. Today's training could still be felt in her sore body. "What is there to expect? We already have Mantis and Monkey; can someone go lower than that?"

Viper chuckled as she remembered the boys that already were their comrades. Yesterday, the girls had spotted them trying to find out how long Monkey's tail was by using Mantis as the unit of measurement… Turned out the tail was eleven times longer than Mantis.

"Still. Do you think he is… _hot_?" She spoke the word almost like it was forbidden. Eyes full of excitement settled on the tiger in front of her.

Tigress hesitated. "What was his name?" she asked, slowly, carefully touching a subject she did not like. She was the only one here that did not have a real name. Though, no one seemed to notice it as Shifu addressed them by their species and the students just did the same to each other.

Viper smiled. "Honghui. Great splendor."

The tiger lifted an eyebrow. "Sounds promising."

"You could use a boyfriend."

"Please; you are the only one who is curious about all this."

"Like you wouldn't stare if it was a tiger."

For a second she was too taken back to answer. "Viper, pull yourself together! We are Kung Fu Masters- students," she corrected herself as none of them had received the title of a Master yet, "not love-sick girls."

"I bet he looks handsome. And you do seem rather lonely sometimes."

"Viper-"

"And he is a warrior since he is going to train with us. And that means he is your type!"

"_Viper_!" she hissed, and then gestured for her to look at the now open door. Mantis and Monkey was standing there, smirking while looking at them.

"Tigress has a crush?"

"Shut up."

Mantis grin grew bigger. "Now I just can't wait to meet him!"

When Tigress growled they turned around to leave the room. Though, first they have a bit of information to share with the girls. "Oh, I think there is something I think you two have forgotten… You do realize your prince charming is going to study the Crane style, right? Just to give you a hint…" Monkey said, eyes shining brightly as he kept in his laughter.

"Tigress, I would _pay_ you to kiss that guy!" Mantis exclaimed. "Heck, I would pay you to kiss anybody!"

As they walked away, Tigress could hear them mutter something about beaks. Her cheeks felt like they were made of stones; surely the boys would not let them forget this.

"You can have him," she briefly told Viper whose cheeks were now red.

The Bad Side of Demography

"I am just saying that it just isn't fair!" Mantis exclaimed, hitting the table with his fist. Or well, he would have hit, but then there was his chronic lack of fists…

"Agreed!"

"Stop acting like idiots!" Viper hissed. "Tigress is the leader so both of you can actually stay alive while being on a mission!"

Monkey snickered. "I didn't vote for her! Who decided it anyways?"

"No one," Tigress said, shrugging. But then she crossed her arms. "It's just the way things are."

"Surely someone has to change that."

Tigress now lifted an eyebrow in annoyance. "Master Shifu doesn't seem to have a problem with it."

"No; _I _do!"

"Let's vote!" Monkey exclaimed, sending the tiger a smirk. "I vote for Mantis as our leader."

The bug bowed to him. "Thank you, brother. Finally someone has seen the light!"

"Then I vote for Tigress," Viper said sternly. "But this is all just stupid."

"And I vote for myself," Mantis declared. "So, Tigress, any way my charm will work on you?"

She snorted. "Hardly. I say things just should continue as it is _supposed_ to be."

"So we're even… Except…" The bug laid his eyes on a bird that just had been too quiet until now. "Crane."

The bird groaned. "Come on."

Monkey and Mantis shared a glance. Unlike them, Crane often felt responsible. And therefore he would naturally vote on Tigress… So now, they had to make it hard for him.

Crane glanced at Tigress, but then on Mantis and Monkey who were grinning evilly. "I didn't know you were such a fan of girls, Crane."

"Shut up."

"See? He is blushing."

"And what makes you think that you should be the leader, Mantis?" he retorted, trying to gain some dignity.

The bug ignored the question. Instead, he started to cry fake tears. "And I *sob* thought we were friends!"

"Leave him alone, Mantis. Just because he knows that-"

"One chance! All I ask for is _one chance_!" he started making puppy eyes and the girls sighed. Crane just sent him a blaming glance which he ignored. Monkey continued smirking.

"What about…" the primate started, "one day?"

Mantis' smile grew bigger. "Ooooh… I like that!"

Tigress and Viper shared a glance, but then looked at Crane. The bird sent them an apologizing glance.

"Boys win!" Monkey exclaimed, while Mantis was grinning evilly; he had the power!

This was going to be great! Now they all had to do what he said, but don't worry; he would lead the Furious Five into greatness.

…

"I hate you."

"Keep your beak shut, Birdie!"

"Do you know how long it takes for feathers to grow out?!"

"It isn't my fault that the bandits could swim! Or that the river happened to be so nearby!"

A throat was cleared and they turned towards Tigress. Her normally orange fur was now covered with big black spots; she too had lost some fur to the fire. "Actually," she said with a dry, dangerous voice, "setting the camp on fire was, in the first place, a _bad idea_."

"So? We caught them in the end! And Crane is going to fly again… soon enough."

"My feathers!"

"We are all okay, and that is the important thing…" Viper said, trying to keep up the mood. "Though, I think Monkey got traumas."

Sure enough, Monkey was walking next to them, staring blankly into the air. You see, as a distraction Monkey had been sent into the camp to flirt with the pretty fox bandit that had been standing guard. Weirdly enough, it had worked better than _anyone_ would have thought, and the monkey's cheeks were now filled with marks of lips that had been pressed against his skin…

"He'll be alright," Mantis said as if he tried to shake it off. His little form was now also pitch black as he too had fought his way through the flames.

"Mantis," Tigress said so calmly that it made him cringe, "you now it is you who has to face Master Shifu and explain _this_."

For a second it actually looked the bug's black face turned pale. "Why _me_?"

Viper sent him a sadistic smile. "Because you are the leader, Mantis."

He gave up and fell to the ground in a very tiny heap. The others, except one, did not wait for him, but continued their way towards the Jade Palace, their mood sour.

Monkey on the other hand placed himself next to his friend. "Wow…"

"Don't. Say. A. Word."

Monkey grinned. "So it's my turn tomorrow?"

"You'll get my vote!"

I Always Thought Mantis Had A Big Mouth…

"I heard about what you did."

Monkey turned around, surprised to hear the dark voice. It did not help that it was midnight or that the fact that Shifu had taught them about assassins and the art of stealth today. And he had really been thing he was alone in the kitchen…

A ray of moonlight hit the table where Mantis now suddenly was standing. He was staring at him in a way that Monkey did not like.

"Heard about what?" he asked, trying to act like this was not suspicious at all.

The bug did not blink. He continued in a slow, dark voice, "About what you gave Crane today. After he cleaned the Hall of Warriors, even though it was your turn. You gave him almond cookie_s_, Monkey. _Two _cookies."

"So?" He shrugged. "It was my turn. I was just too lazy to do it."

"So he deserved it."

"Yes." Monkey had now nearly forgotten his reason to be in the kitchen; the jar he had stored on the top of the shelf. The two friends were now circling around each other, not removing their glances from each other.

"Do you remember what I did for you yesterday, Monkey?" the bug reminded him. "I took the blame and punishment for you breaking Master Shifu's favorite flute."

Monkey groaned. "For the last time; I thought it was a bamboo staff for training! And you got your payment."

"Exactly. I got a cookie. _A cookie_!"

He really did not understand, so he frowned. "Yes…?"

"Crane got two! Why? Why would you do such thing to me? It's betrayal!"

"Huh?"

"I saved your butt!" Mantis said sternly as he walked towards Monkey. "And got one. He cleaned the floor and got t_woooo_!"

"Yeah, and?"

"_And_? You used me!"

"You have a tiny mouth!"

Silence. Dangerous silence.

"_What_?!"

"Come on, Mantis. You know you're a bit… small."

…

"We were talking about cookies."

"Yeah, you're smaller than the cookie."

"Am not!"

Monkey lifted an eyebrow. "Dare to test it?"

Mantis was now scowling. "So what if I am _smaller_ than you guys? That just makes you big!"

"One cookie for you should be like twelve for us! You got more than Crane!"

"Did not!" Mantis was now dangerously close to him. "I can count, you know!"

"Goodnight, Mantis."

The bug jumped after him as he tried to leave the room. "Give me a cookie!"

"No!"

"You owe me!"

The next morning the others found them surrounded by pieces of the hidden jar and what was left of the cookies they had shared. All accusations forgotten and the two friends were now making jokes about Shifu's beard.

You see, there is nothing an almond cookie can't fix.

The Word 'Sisterhood' Doesn't Include 'Boys'

Tigress was _pissed_. She was angry, but what angered her was that she suddenly disliked everything. She hated _him_ for doing this, she hated the world for being unfair, but most of all, she hated herself for letting all this happen.

It was not like she had been in love with him or something. To be in love she should at least have talked to him. Or just know his name. But no; she had only watched him from a distance.

She blamed her feline instincts. It was not like she wanted to be looking at him like that.

But he had been the first real feline she had seen in her valley. He had been a leopard; young, though some years older than her. Just a traveler. He had never even caught her glance.

He had stayed here in two days. Today he had left, but not before Tigress had seen him kissing another leopard in the group he had been travelling with.

So now she was coming back to the Jade Palace to train. Because that was normal and normal what was she needed right now. She was not Viper; she was Tigress, and Tigress did not care about the boys.

She did not care; she was just annoyed right now. Because… Because…

Because all those happy couples just made her feel sick. Yeah, that was it.

"Tigress?" Unfortunately Viper was already in the training hall, and right now, the tiger just wanted to be alone.

"I'll go meditate," she muttered before fleeing.

It was first hours later she tried entering the hall again. At that time her knuckles were almost scratching because she had not hit the dummies that were silently screaming for her.

Meditating had… well, it had not helped at all. Meditating just meant she had to face her thoughts. But she had finally come to that one conclusion; she was actually pretty glad that she was the only feline in the Valley.

And if things just continued as they should be, she would be the only tiger around here. Goodbye confusion!

But as she entered the hall where she spent the half of her days in, Viper was still there. Though, as she was about to swallow her groan, she noticed the thing next to her friend.

It was a dummy. But this dummy was not screaming for her to hit it; no, this one did not even need to beg her. The dummy was more than created for her to punch.

Viper smiled when she saw the tiger's determined glance. "I saved the first hit for you."

They spent the next couple hours on destroying the dummy, which had been decorated as the leopard Viper had seen Tigress staring at.

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A/N: Okay, I know, I know. This is not the best thing I have written. But my writer's block has made it clear that once I've finished my unfinished stories, I won't publish anymore. Sorry. I've just gotten enough of KFP. But, NJ, I know this story isn't what I have given you hints about. You see, I started four stories for you, but lost inspiration for them all. So this was just a lot of random ideas, put into this story which I probably will update once I get more ideas.

Hope you like it, søde NJ. If not, then you have all the other presents I've sent to you :D

And no… All what happened in this story surely isn't stuff that has happened for me. *snort* Alright, I needed inspiration from somewhere, okay? :D

Back from my long absence! Please check my profile for some bittersweet news.


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